Assyrian conquest of Elam

The Assyrian conquest of Elam occurred when the Neo-Assyrian Empire, under kings Esarhaddon and Ashurbanipal, invaded, ravaged, and conquered the Persian state of Elam.

History
The first recorded conflict between Elam and Assyria occurred in 721 BC, caused by disputes over the two nations' influence over Babylon. For decades, the two nations fought in bloody and inconclusive battles, but, after a failed attack on Babylon in 655 BC, Elamite power began to decline. In the Battle of Ulai, the Assyrians soundly defeated the Elamites and beheaded their king, and only another Babylonian revolt saved Elam from invasion. The next Assyrian king, Ashurbanipal, saw the conquest of Elam as one of his most important objectives, and he razed the Elamite city of Susa in 648 BC. In 639 BC, the entire western army of Assyria moved to destroy the Elamites, and the Assyrians defeated Elamite offensives as Elam was torn apart by civil wars. For a month and 25 days, Ashurbanipal devastated the provinces of Elam, scattered salt in their farmlands, gathered the dust of the destroyed cities of Susa, Madaktu, Haltemash, and many others, deported the Elamite population, and left the fields "empty of the voice of mankind". Although Elam was destroyed, Assyria itself would fall just 34 years later.